2024-02-09T13:23:00+00:00
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/ A British court announced on Friday the trial of an Afghan refugee who holds British and Russian citizenship, on charges of working as a spy for the Russian army, indicating that he was working for the intelligence agency and the British ministries of defense and foreign affairs, as well as for NATO as a British citizen.
The court stripped the citizen of his citizenship by a government decision after it was revealed that he worked as a spy. Russia had prepared him for 5 years, and he entered Britain in 2000, and obtained the right to asylum after he claimed that he fled his country because of the Taliban.
The British newspaper, The Times, said yesterday, Thursday, that the spy was able to access British military and intelligence secrets thanks to his work within the government.
The report said the accused worked with two former prime ministers, and met Princes Charles and William on their visits to Afghanistan while working for the British government there.
The newspaper revealed that the accused also worked for the British Intelligence Agency, according to what was revealed by the court hearings.
The accused holds both Russian and British citizenship, and the government has argued that he would pose a risk to national security if allowed to work in Britain. The accused denies being an agent.
The government said the accused had access to “top secret” documents while working in Britain and Afghanistan for the British government.
The Times said that Russia had prepared the spy for five years, and that he had entered Britain in 2000 and been granted asylum after claiming that he had fled his country because of the Taliban.
The newspaper pointed out that, in recent years, senior security officials have repeatedly warned of Russia’s influence and espionage campaign.
She added that investigations revealed that 5 people belonged to a Russian spy network that carried out surveillance operations in Britain, and calls subsequently increased for greater scrutiny of the asylum system.
The British newspaper revealed that the accused spent his childhood under the Soviet regime in Afghanistan, before paying a sum of money to a network for illegal immigration to Russia in 1994.
She added that he settled in Russia and studied Russian language and literature before marrying a Russian citizen, then traveled to Britain illegally again, surrendered himself to immigration officials in London and requested asylum, saying that he came directly from Afghanistan.
The accused began working in the British government after his naturalization, according to the newspaper, as an interpreter for public bodies including the police, courts and the Home Office.
The accused claims that he worked for the Ministry of Defense and NATO, as a British citizen, while the government refuses to confirm whether the accused worked for these sovereign institutions. The report indicated that it is an embarrassing matter for it.
The Times reported that the accused moved to work with the British Foreign Office in Afghanistan, where he met members of the royal family and senior politicians, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
The accused claims, according to the report, that he survived several assassination attempts while Pakistani intelligence was trying to recruit him, according to his confessions. One of the witnesses told the court that he “was hunting for information, seeking to discover it, and to know the types of weapons we use in Afghanistan.”
The newspaper reported that the accused, during his work in Afghanistan, moved between a number of tasks and roles that gave him the opportunity to deal closely with Russian officials, and he also visited Russia at least 6 times during that period.